Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	Entering the U.S. after NOA2...	Bring your entire case file as well including everything you got in Packet 3 which shows your in line for an interview back in Canada. I visited every 3 weeks and my last visit was 3 weeks before my interview date.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-05-23 19:14:00
Canada	Payment for K-1 interview in Canada	Maybe they are changing their policy for the summer (or indefinitely) to reduce some of the administrative processes (like accepting payments and having to go to the bank). I know that other countries use this pre-payment system. Luckily, there are tons of Scotia banks in Canada. I think there is one near the consulate too.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-06-11 12:09:00
Canada	Land crossing - Toronto to Buffao	Emily, they also offer "terminal to terminal" service which is cheaper than door to door. The closest terminal in Toronto is Brampton but you have to haul your stuff there and load the trailer or cube and then you do the same at your destination. So if you know someone who has a truck or something you can borrow, that will shave hundreds off your price. For example, terminal to terminal service with me would have cost about $700 USD but door to door is $1,100 USD.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-27 10:25:00
Canada	Land crossing - Toronto to Buffao	Emily and Kimmbo, feel free to ask me anything you guys need to know.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-27 10:07:00
Canada	Land crossing - Toronto to Buffao	Heh, no problem! 1. They didn't ask me for a list of what I brought (I had a list though) and they didn't ask if my other belongings were coming later. I assume it's because the ABF Upack driver will have to deal with that when he gets to the border. 2. The I-94 is the departure record which basically states when you have to leave the U.S. on that particular visa (K3, 2 years multiple entry). It's just a passport sized sheet stapled on the page adjacent to your visa page in your passport.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-27 10:02:00
Canada	Land crossing - Toronto to Buffao	They *may* be more lax about the food for the critters since you'll be pulled in for Immigration, not Customs. I had brought 10lbs of dog food, 8lbs of cat food and 3 cases of canned canned cat food with me along with a ton of rawhide chews and dog cookies and they let it slide. Have all their vet paperwork with you too (which I'm sure you will have on hand) and hopefully they'll let you bring food across. They didn't even ask to see my paperwork which was good. I know cats don't need their shots but I was worried since one of them isn't vaccinated because he's INSANE at the vet. Believe me, we tried to no avail. But I also had the CDC page printed out about the "importation of pets" in case we ran into problems with the unvaccinated kitty. What you could also do is contact vet offices along the route to see if you can pickup their prescription food along the way since you'll have a VERY long drive ahead of you.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-27 09:49:00
Canada	Land crossing - Toronto to Buffao	Just wanted to update people on the Peace Bridge crossing on March 23, 2007. We arrived at about 2 p.m. with a car full of animals (3 cats and 1 dog), their supplies and food and some clothes and valuables (printer, digital video camera, digital camera). Really not that much stuff since the rest is coming with a moving company separately. Told the guy at the booth that we were activating a K3 and he took our passports, told us to go to park in the lot and go to building number 1 where they'd call our names. He gave us a slip where he had written down the license plate, number of occupants and circled "CBPI" on it (there is CBPC, CBPI and CBPA" which I assume is CBP Immigration. My husband stayed in the car with the animals (they had his passport too) and I went inside. After a few minutes I went back outside to grab him since I figured they'd need him inside too. I didn't like leaving the animals in the car but there were 2 officers patrolling the lot. When he was outside with the animals the officers said hi to my dog, didn't look at the cats, didn't ask for the animals' paperwork and didn't ask for a itemised list of what was in the car. They did look briefly in the trunk and commented that we brought too much dog & cat food across the border since there's meat in it but they let it slide and I think their comment was more of an aside (Kimmbo, you should call and ask how much dog food you can bring across with you). Anyway, it wasn't crowded inside but I think the majority of the people that had been pulled inside were for customs checks since there were whole families in there who looked like they were doing cross border shopping. Maybe a few TNs in there too that had been pulled aside. After about 45 mins an officer came out asked if I had the sealed envelope (which by the way, I had guarded with my life along with my passport since the visa issuance!) and I gave it to him. He told us to go to building 3 which was reserved for checking people from buses but it was empty. He took a fewminutes at the window, called us back up, told me the terms of the visa, the I-94 ($6 USD, silly me asked "Canadian or US?" duh!), what forms to fill out for AOS and EAD and wished us a good day. He was extremely nice and helpful and we chatted about how he sees a lot more K1s and CR-1/IR-1 visas over K3s. No biometrics or anything else taken. And that was pretty much it! When we got back to the car, my dog was asleep on the driver's seat. Everyone we encountered at the Peace Bridge was super nice, from the first officer, to the parking lot officers, to the officer that did my paperwork and entered me in the system. I think the key is to cross when it is NOT rush hour or a busy day (like a Canadian or US holiday). Edited by misa, 27 March 2007 - 09:11 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-27 09:10:00
Canada	Land crossing - Toronto to Buffao	what paperwork are you bringing to document your pets? We have two dogs . . . I'm bring proof of rabies shots (more than 30 days on entry as required by the CDC because it takes 30+ days for the vaccine to be effective) and health certificate from my vet. The cats technically don't need their vaccinations (not required) but I'm going to err on the side of caution and get them done too even though they're all indoors. I just don't want them to give me any reasons for delay. We're probably going to hit the Peace Bridge between noon and 2 p.m. so hopefully it won't be busy then. But first, I need my visa!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-02-28 18:41:00
Canada	Land crossing - Toronto to Buffao	Thanks for the link! I'll definitely be check that on the day we're moving. I don't drive (no license) so my husband (the USC) will have to map out our route.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-02-25 16:55:00
Canada	Land crossing - Toronto to Buffao	Looks like the Peace Bridge it is!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-02-25 16:39:00
Canada	Land crossing - Toronto to Buffao	What's the best land crossing frm Toronto to Buffalo? And by best, I mean least busy with nice and knowledgeable staff. We'll have 4 animals in two (3 cats, 1 dog) so I'd prefer if they didn't have to sit around waiting forever when I *crosses fingers* activate my K3. ETA: Ha! I spelled Buffalo wrong in the thread title! Edited by misa, 25 February 2007 - 01:34 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-02-25 13:34:00
Canada	Wish me Luck on my BIG Move Saturday!	Good luck with the move!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-30 09:11:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	I think their "U-Pack" division is their professional personal goods moving subsidiary. They're fairly knowledgeable about both U.S. and Canadian customs. I agree though that people should research all their options. I will say that going from Canada to U.S., ABF U-Pack was the best decision for me and I had a great experience with them. Despite me being a lousy packer with several very fragile things in my cube, nothing was broken in the transport!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-04-02 13:58:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	I never would have expected the dispatcher to actually drive out here with the key. Very impressed indeed. I hope you can use them too Emily!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-30 17:55:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	Upack update! Cube was delivered today at about 3 p.m. with only one minor snag. The terminal forgot to give the driver the key to the ABF padlock but no worries. Instead of having him go get it and come back, the dispatcher actually drove over right away to save me time. It was unlocked within 30 mins. Husband and his brother are unloading it right now and I'm shocked that nothing is broken. Not even 2 framed photos that are 3 feet by 4 feet! They pick up the cube on Monday. I'm very impressed by their customer service from everyone I've dealt with and I highly recommend them! Edited by misa, 30 March 2007 - 05:50 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-30 17:47:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	HA! My friends and I STILL quote that ad! (Yikes, are we dating ourselves here?) My U.S. friends never have any idea what I'm talking about when I say that thing about burnt toast in that accent. And yes, I think we're dating ourselves... *sigh*	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-29 14:09:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	What you mean, you can goto a web search engine like google and just type in "upack" Thats just crazy!! lol Next you know women will be able to vote!! lol Nice women don't want the vote! Remember that Heritage Canada commercial? Dr. Penfield, I smell burnt toast!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-29 13:41:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	Wow, misa, it really sounds like they have some excellent customer service. (You hardly hear that anymore!) I'm hoping we are able to purge enough stuff so that we can go the upack route. I sent hubby the link you gave me and he likes their style. Everyone I have dealt with at ABF Upack, from their head office 1-800 number to the terminal and driver in Ontario to the terminal in Virginia have been just fantastic! Very friendly, helpful and accomodating!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-29 11:54:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	Upack update. I decided to get them to drop it off Friday instead and pick up Monday. It was just easier for me to do so. The dispatcher changed the schedule without any problems.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-29 11:26:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	Cube is at the RVA terminal and they are delivering tomorrow afternoon. They will call me when it leaves and also when the driver is here (our building doesn't have a buzzer).	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-28 14:13:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	Re-reading some of this, I wonder why they didn't need my I-94? My cube is just an hour away from the destination terminal and we never got a call about any problems across the border or anything, just a call saying that they'd be ready to drop it off at our place here in VA tomorrow... I didn't hire a customs broker either, just gave my customs form and photocopies of my visa, passport, birth certificate to the ABF driver. Maybe zyggy will pop by and shed some light on this? Edited by misa, 28 March 2007 - 10:17 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-28 10:16:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	Resurrecting this thread for the benefit of others... I'll try and summarise as much as possible. Months in advance: - I decided on what I wanted to get from them (Relocube) and how much stuff I was keeping. The estimates on their website are helpful regarding how much stuff you have and what you'd need to rent from them. Got the quote... $1,100 USD for door to door for 1 cube from Toronto to Richmond, VA. They have options for terminal to terminal as well which can end up costing 1/2 of what door to door costs. One month in advance: - I booked it when I got my interview date. Gave them a credit card number (they only charge it when they pick up your PACKED cube or trailer). 2 Days in advance of empty cube drop off - March 20, 2007: - Called the local terminal in Brampton, ON to schedule the day/time to drop off the empty cube. Even though it's reserved, you still need to call 2 days in advance. I also told them what day and time I wanted them to pick up the packed cube (next day). They also advised me to tell the driver as well since it's the same driver for drop off and pick up. Cube drop off day - March 22, 2007: - Scheduled it for 12 noon and the driver was there at 11:30 a.m. Driver was extremely nice and helpful. (Name is I think Coy Billcott judging from his signature on my bill of lading, he was fantastic) - Driver scoped out the area and dropped the cube where I wanted it. Also confirmed that he would be back the next day at the scheduled time of 10 a.m. He was done completely by noon. He also advised what paperwork I needed to give him the next day. - We put our own padlock on it overnight. For crossing the border, you can give them your key OR ask the driver to come back on the pickup day with an ABF lock which they will have the key for. They need to be able to open it for customs if asked. We put our own padlock on it overnight and they brought an ABF lock for when it's in transit. Cube pick up day - March 23, 2007 - Coy returned at 9:30 a.m. It was a tight squeeze to get the cube out of there since it was parked in front of my house and there were illegally parked cars in the way but he successfully did it! - We signed the bill of lading and I supplied him with 4 things: 1) photocopy of my visa; 2) photocopy of my passport photo/info page; 3) photocopy of my short and long birth certificate; 4) filled out customs form 3299 with the itemised list and value on the 2nd page. He looked over the customs form and gave it the thumbs up and away he went. He also gave me a tracking number on it (ABF Pro Number). You can check the tracking online with your quote number or the pro number. - Estimated transit time does NOT include day of pick up or final drop off date. It also does not include weekends or holidays. Cube in transit - March 26, 2007: Cube loaded onto truck in Toronto/Brampton - March 27, 2007: In transit, landed in Carlisle, PA - March 28, 2007: In transit, to land in Richmond, VA at 12 noon today. They called the number we provided here (my husband's cell number) to let us know they would drop off between 2-5 p.m. tomorrow. I will call them once it gets to the terminal today to arrange a more specific time. - March 29, 2007: Cube drop off day. - March 30, 2007: Cube pick up day (I think you have a couple of days to do it, I'll find out). I'll keep you all posted on the drop off day and pick up of empty cube. I'm pretty sure that you need to cross the border before your stuff can follow because on the customs form it asks just that (day of entry and location of entry). I did not need to fax them my I-94 after entry. I'm assuming that CBP could just plug in the K3 number to see it was activated if they needed to do that. Edited by misa, 28 March 2007 - 10:03 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-28 09:58:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	That is a crazy price for Uhaul!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-13 10:24:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	I'm paying about $1,100 USD for 1 Upack cube. I'm getting rid of a ton of stuff and what doesn't fit in the cube will get thrown out or go into storage at my mom's house. Uhaul was not an option as we are moving with 3 cats and a dog and they won't fit in the cab of a truck. Edited by misa, 06 March 2007 - 09:22 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-06 21:21:00
Canada	has anyone had luck with upack?	I have a cube booked with Upack but I'm not moving until March 23 (my interview is March 19). I read elsewhere here in another thread that someone else swore by Upack.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-06 11:33:00
Canada	Montreal Interview on March 20th	I've missed a lot this past week. Congrats!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-27 15:03:00
Canada	Karlita's interview	Congrats!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-30 10:05:00
Canada	Karlita's interview	I hope so too!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-29 22:05:00
Canada	Should I be worried?	Emily waited a few extra days too. I wouldn't worry about it.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-29 19:08:00
Canada	Ties to Canada	I've only gone through Pearson, both Terminal 2 (now defunct) and Terminal 3 and the officers were always okay. Some friendlier than others but all of them were pretty decent and professional.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-09 16:01:00
Canada	Ties to Canada	Shopper's Optimum Card .. - haha -- that's a joker item, so don't take it seriously. What about winning tickets from Roll up the Rim to Win? "Officer I swear I'm coming back, look, I have all these free doughnut coupons!"	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-09 12:34:00
Canada	Ties to Canada	The advantage that we Canadians have is that you go through preclearance here (at the big airports), so if you are turned away, you're still in Canada and not trapped at the airport.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-09 12:31:00
Canada	Ties to Canada	Catou1181: Do not mention you're getting married on a visit... yeah I wasn't planning on it Good good.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-09 11:53:00
Canada	Ties to Canada	Oh yeah, the cash thing. I always brought about $200 USD in cash on each visit and had about $200 Cdn in my wallet at the same time just in case since well, you know, why would someone have $200 in Cdn cash if they're just going to stay in the U.S.? Catou1181: Do not mention you're getting married on a visit...	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-09 11:43:00
Canada	Ties to Canada	Not once and I visit every 3 weeks. My accordian folder I bring with me with everything in it was getting heavier each visit. I was asked a bunch of questions the second last visit after the officer asked if I had applied for a visa and I told them I was a K3 applicant that only a real applicant would know the answers to (e.g., where did you file? why did you file at that service centre? where did it go after it was approved? including the usual, what do you do for a living, etc.). I offered to show any evidence he wanted to see, but the officer said he believed me, told me to always have all that info with me when I was visiting and wished me a good weekend. I was not questioned in secondary. The last visit (this past weekend) the officer already knew I was a K3 applicant when he scanned my passport and just asked if I was visiting my husband and commented about how much it must suck being separated. He asked me if I had my interview date yet (I told him the date) and wished me good luck and a good weekend. Edited by misa, 09 March 2007 - 12:53 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-09 00:48:00
Canada	Ties to Canada	I always bring: - letter from employer on real letterhead with their business card attached (see sample below) - recent pay stubs - bank statements - apartment lease - utility bills - complete case file (to show I'm doing things the correct way if asked) - return ticket/itinerary (always) Here's my letter: To whom it may concern, This letter is to confirm that <Name> is currently employed at <Company> as a <Title>. <Name> will be visiting the U.S. from <Start Date> to <End Date> and will be returning to work on <Work Date> If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me further. Sincerely, <Boss's Name> <Boss's Title> <Contact phone numbers> Edited by misa, 09 March 2007 - 12:12 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-03-09 00:11:00
Canada	Report on my Blaine Border Crossing Move	......and Misa.....get a doiley or 10 ......boxes make decent sidetables LOL! We are actually using file boxes as end tables right now.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-04-02 16:14:00
Canada	Report on my Blaine Border Crossing Move	Glad to hear the move went well. I'm still living out of boxes myself. I should get my ### in gear and unpack some ####### soon. Good luck at the office regarding your EAD!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-04-02 10:28:00
Canada	AOS Interview Date	Congrats!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-04-03 10:47:00
Canada	Interview in....	Mephys, less than 1 day to go! You know we'll all be rooting for you tomorrow morning.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-04-03 11:31:00